Maurice Blackburn jointly represented the four unions that
comprise the workforce at the Longford plant in the Royal
Commission which followed the tragic explosion and fire in
September 1998. Two workers were killed, many were injured and the
state of Victoria lost its gas supply for 2 weeks.
Working closely with the employees caught in the fire and
explosion, and instructing at the Royal Commission daily, Maurice
Blackburn developed an intimate knowledge of the operations of the
rich oil, lean oil gas absorption system operating at the
Plant.
In the course of the Royal Commission Esso tried to blame some
of its employees for the disaster. Maurice Blackburn was able to
defeat this cruel attempt.
The Royal Commission concluded that employees were not properly
trained, and supervisors and higher management did not have the
necessary knowledge to deal with the dangers caused by a pump
shutdown. It was found that the ultimate cause of the accident was
the failure of Esso to equip its employees with appropriate
knowledge to deal with the events that occurred.
Esso was later found guilty in the Victorian Supreme Court of
various breaches of Occupational Health and Safety Law and was
fined a record amount.